Thought I’d make use of the huge amount of sliders and buttons I ordered before Xmas. This is a midi controller, note assigner to control a pair of Roland boutique JP-08 synths. Each JP-08 is a 4 note version of the famous Roland Jupiter 8 in software. Using my existing “A bit more" code I can control the two boutiques as one complete 8 voice poly with whole, dual and split modes.
What I found out is that the boutique units also have built in portamento, chorus and digital delays which are only available over MIDI. So I can call these up from the new front panel.
I bought the two jp-08 synths about 7 years ago and always wanted to do something with them. My original plans was to put them into the CME uf 70, but without huge work only one fits clean on the surface. So to build them deep inside was a better option and I can fit them into a 5 octave UF-60 chassis and use the controller as the interface.
I lose the sequencers, but who uses them anyways and I gain chorus, portamento and delay.
I’ve been waiting on some right angled cables and new slider caps to close the lid on this synth and finish off the remaining code. Today the caps arrived and unfortunatey not the best cables from AliExpress, so I improvised and made my own right angle USB connectors as they are only for power.
I’ve printed a new front cover with better labelling and slightly reduced height banners. Also changed the colours of some of the buttons, pity you can’t get orange push buttons.
I’ve also coded sysex dumps so I can transfer banks of patches from my pc to the synth. It can hold 16 banks of 64 patches and performances.
The code and schematics can be found here, I guess with this you could take any boutique pair and make a bi-timbral synth. Like a dual JU-06 or JX-03
Really cool!
